The Learnex Explorers Mooncamp project is guided by resource efficiency, innovation, sustainability and safety.

The project aims to study the life adaption into the Moon and the usage of the local resources. Considering the project topics, it is considered to start with 3 astronauts with the following background: 1 biologist, 1 doctor and 1 engineer.

The Mooncamp has a modular system, which can be replicated anywhere on the Moon. A module is created from a support, which assures the camp building into irregular surface and from a capsule where the future inhabitants will live. The modules are connected with tunnels with sealing doors for protection in case of damage of one or more modules.

The communication with Earth and the rovers is made from the Control Room with a rotating antenna through laser.

The research topics for life adaption into the Moon considers:

• human life adaption (example: body changes, life quality improvement);
• plants growth (examples: for eating – to obtain a complete diet with plants grown on the Moon, for air production, for plastic production for 3D printing – from starchy plants).

The research topics for local resource usage considers:

• water production from lunar ice (the ice is considered to be mixed with other materials);
• electrolysis from hydrogen and oxygen production – for air and fuel;
• minerals and metallic extractions from lunar soils and meteorites;
• new materials discoveries;
• energy production (from the Sun) and storage etc.

Other important projects:

• research into the waste recycling maximization;
• research into the far side of the Moon.

Close to the lunar poles

The location is selected considering the ease of the resource obtaining, the importance for the life sustaining, the possibility of expansion of the mooncamp and the project sustainability. The location is selected because:

• It has the most acceptable temperature values – overheating can be prevented;
• It has permanent sun exposure which offers resources for solar panels (with the exception of eclipses, when the energy can be stored);
• It has ice which can be transformed in water and oxygen;
• It is close to the far side of the moon – new research opportunities.

The building plan is:

• The location is selected from Earth;
• A transport with unmanned robots – they will build from regolith the modules – 3D printing (a module is a room) and they will add aluminum panels and polyethylene included(from Earth)
• After the basic modules are done, the transport of the astronauts and some additional resources:
  • Until functionality they will use special inflatable tents for living;
  • They will make and check all the systems to work (example: water recycling system, air ventilation etc.)
• Mooncamp expansion.

Water can be obtained from several sources:
• Initially from Earth
• Water recycling system – from human biological waste (sweating, urine), from greenhouse (water drainage), humidity (automatic system to adapt the humidity in each module)
• Lunar ice – heated drill to break the ice in smaller parts which can be transported into the mineral processing room – for melting and filter the water if it is mixed with regolith. The regolith is transported on a roller for other material filtering.
For the last 2 sources, the water is collected, filtered and chemically treated and tested for a safety consumption.

Food is obtained from 2 sources:
• Initially from Earth
• From Greenhouse – first they plant spirulina because it grows very fast and also produce a lot of oxygen. They can storage plants on the refrigerators from the kitchen and they can plant more diverse plants. Later, they can make a diverse plant production plan to cover a complete diet. For growing, there will be artificial light which is adapted to the earth cycle.
Later, they can bring animals like chickens and fishes – to have other type of nutrients and to try to adapt them to this new habitat.

The main power resource is considered to be from the sun. The energy is produced considering photovoltaic panels. To have a continuous source of energy, the panels are mounted on pivots to rotate them like a sun-flower after the sun. In the days with eclipse or energy production system damage, the mooncamp will use the energy which is stored on the batteries. These are situated near the panels.

Air is obtained from several sources:
• Initially from air tank from Earth
• From the plants from Greenhouse – in this case, the carbon dioxide can be collected from each module and released here to be transformed again into oxygen by plants
• Mixing:
o oxygen which is obtained from water – electrolysis
o nitrogen which is obtained from human biological waste and dying plants.
Also, Spirulina can be planted also in other modules rather than the Greenhouse for air purification and to created a more friendly environment.

Protection is offered by:
• Regolith – covers the modules – protection against the meteorites impact;
• Aluminum panels with polyethylene included – walls sealing against air and thermal loss and polyethylene for radiation protection;
• Measurement sensors – mooncamp functionality parameters system checks and surveillance on each 10 minutes by computer
• Modular system of the camp – if one of the modules is destroyed, the sealing doors of the vicinity modules are sealing the rest of the camp until repairing
• Decontamination room – the astronauts are making a ”bath” to destroy micro-organisms in order to contaminate the lunar habitat or the camp.
• Back-up system of the control room – into the working room

A day on the Moon is adapted considering the Earth life cycle: at least 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work and 8 hours personal time and systems checkings (also this time is supervised for research topics, with their approval).

For example:

7:00 – Get up

7:00-7:30-Body Work-out

7:30-8:00 – Self hygiene

8:00-9:00 – Breakfast preparation and eating

9:00-9:30 – Mooncamp systems checks, sending reports of the systems on Earth

9:30- 12:00 – Work (each astronaut in his domain)

12:00-13:00 – Launch preparation and eating

13:00-18:30 – Work

18:30-19:00 – Mooncamp systems checks, sending reports of the systems on Earth

19:00-20:00 – Dinner preparation and eating

20:00-20:30 – Work-Out

20:30-21:00 – Self-Hygiene

21:00-23:00 – Socializing time between the team, at home on Earth, playing games, watching movies, reading, therapy etc.

23:00 – Sleeping time.

This is a regular day on the Moon, but for a normality, 2 from 3 astronauts during the weekends have a day off for relaxation and to maintain a good mental condition. The other one is remaining on the Control Room for system checkings and measurements collection. If some emergency appears (in case of illness or some camp defectives), the entire team will try to solve the problems with help from Earth if it is necessary (as information).

The emergencies inside the camp are announced on special watches and the astronauts must gather into the living room – the room with most connections from the camp. These watches are helping also for regular communication inside the camp.